Means for adhering a web to an impression surface during multicolor printing



March 14, 1967 JUNJI HATA 3,308,751

MEANS FOR ADHERING A WEB TO AN IMPRESSION SURFACE DURING MULTICOLOR PRINTING Filed July 14, 1964 I NVEN TOR United States Patent 3,308,751 MEANS FOR ADHERING A WEB TO AN IMPRESSION SURFACE DURING MUL- TICOLOR PRINTING Junji Hata, Kyoto-shi, Japan, assignor to Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan Filed July 14, 1964, Ser. No. 382,469 Claims priority, application Japan, July 18, 1963, 38/36,669 1 Claim. (Cl. 101-178) The present invention relates to an improved printing apparatus for efi ecting high reliability in the registration of colors in the printing or dyeing of flexible materials in two or more colors.

The prior art processes for effecting multicolored printing or dyeing of flexible materials such as cloth and flexible films have the disadvantage that, due to tension imparted during the printing or dyeing process, the material being printed or dyed is moved out of line withthe result that the various colors are not properly registered. Therefore, with the prior art processes it is very difficult to obtain a finished printed or dyed product with the colors in proper register.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved process and apparatus for insuring high reliability in the registration of colors in the printing or dyeing of flexible materials of little dimensional stability in two or more colors, thereby eliminating the disadvantage associated with the prior art processes.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the pretreatment line of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the multicolor printing or dyeing line of said embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the novel multicolored printing or dyeing apparatus comprises a drum 1 having a silicone rubber layer applied thereon, an applicator roll assembly positioned in contact with the periphery of the drum 1 for applying resin solution onto the drum periphery, a tank 3 containing a predetermined level of resin solution and so disposed that the applicator roll assembly 2 may dip therein and take up a predetermined amount of resin solution therefrom, a tenter 4 positioned in front of drum 1 in the pretreatment line for pre-tensioning material 10 as the material passes over the tenter, a pressure roll 5 disposed in contact with the peripheral surface of drum 1 in the rear of tenter 4 in the pretreatment line, a separation roll 6 disposed in contact with the peripheral surface of drum 1 on the side opposite pressure roll 5, and a drying device 7 disposed above and in slightly spaced relation with drum 1 in a position between pressure roll 5 and separation roll 6.

The multicolored printing or dyeing line is shown in FIG. 2 and as shown in this figure the printing or dyeing line comprises a printing drum 20, a pressure roll 11 disposed in contact with printing drum 20 which receives the pretreated material and forces it against the peripheral surface of drum 20, a number of spaced printing rolls 12 disposed in contact with the peripheral surface of drum each roll for printing a different color on material 10, and a water applicator roll 13 disposed in contact with the peripheral surface of drum 20 for wetting drum 20. Water applicator roll 13 is supplied with water from its associated smaller diameter roll which in turn dips into the water contained in its cooperating container and takes up a predetermined amount of water therefrom and each printing roll 12 is supplied with a colored printing ink from its associated smaller diameter roll, said smaller rolls in turn dipping into the colored inks contained in their respective cooperating containers.

In the operation of the apparatus of the present invention, a length of material 10 is supplied from a suitable supply source (not shown) to tenter 4 and said material 10 is subject to pre-tensioning as its passes over tenter 4. After pre-tensioning by tenter 4, material 10 advances to the right as seen from FIG. 1 to pressure roll 5 from which material 10 further passes to a space between roll 5 and drum 1 and is forced against the peripheral surface of drum 1 on which a film of a highly concentrated resin solution such as for example, polyvinyl alcohol, has been applied by the applicator assembly 2, and accordingly, material 10 is coated with a resin film as it advances in contact with the periphery of drum 1. However, it should be understood that the resin film is applied on only one surface, that is, the non-printing surface of the material, and, further, the film is so applied that it does not permeate to the opposite surface, that is, the printing surface of the material. The film-coated material then advances into the drying device 7 to be dried and stiffened thereby and then passes to separation roll 6 where material 10 is separated from drum 1 thereby completing the pretreatment step of this novel process.

Material 10, thus pretreated is then subjected to the multicolored printing or dyeing step. In the printing line the less flexible film coated material 10 from the pretreatment line is fed to the pressure roll 11 and advances through the space between roll 11 and printing drum 20, the surface of said drum having been moistened by water applicator roll 13. Material 10 is forced against the peripheral surface of the printing drum 20 by pressure roll 11 as it passes the space. The resin film on material 10 is moistened by the wet peripheral surface of drum 20, so material 10 sticks to the drum periphery as it advances along the periphery. While the drum rotates with material 10 adhered thereto, printing rolls 12 print or dye different colors on the material, respectively, to produce a fine quality printed product in which all the colors are printed properly in the predetermined register.

It is clear from the foregoing, that the resin film on the back of material 10 insures dimensional stability of said material and, further, when said film has been moistened, material 10 adheres to printing drum 20; since, as a result of these two factors, material 10 cannot stretch or be pulled out of line, high reliability in registration of two or more colors is assured.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention that has been shown and described above is for the purpose of illustration only and is not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a multicolored printing apparatus for printing on sheet material of little dimensional stability, a rotary drum having a peripheral surface coated with silicone rubber, means for applying a resin solution to said peripheral surface of said drum, means for continuously applying a sheet material of a relatively small degree of dimensional stability to the surface of the drum to receive a resin film therefrom, drying means extending part of the way around the periphery of the drum for drying the resin film received hy the surface of the sheet material which is directed toward the drum, a rotary printing drum, means directing the resin-coated sheet material from said firstmentioned drum to said printing drum, with said resin film engaging the printing drum, moistening means for moistening the resin film as it is applied to the printing drum, said resin film having the property of adhering the sheet material to the printing drum as a result of moistening of the resin film, and printing roll means printingv with a plurality of different colors, respectively, on the surface of the sheet material which is directed away from said printing drum while the sheet material adheres to the printing drum through the action of said resin film which also increases the dimensional stability of the sheet material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Noble 101178 Wainwright et al. 101170 Montgomery et al. 117-45 Kallock 11768 Parkinson 101-416 Hess 101-416 Aronstein et al. 101-211 X ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

DAVID KLEIN, Examiner.

15 I. R. FISHER,- Assistant Examiner. 

